"Isn't this just perfect...?"

Wanyan Lie, after a moment of silence, spoke with a somber expression.

Tuoba Tao's face froze at the words, and upon realizing their meaning, his expression changed immediately.

If they don't attack Lincang City, wouldn't they be just saved?

Yes, if that's the case, then what is he worried about.

If Hou Yuxiao doesn't come to attack Lincang City, he can only stay at Junyang Prefecture.

In the Capital Region Path, there are two marquises leading an army of a million, and on the Jiuhua Dao side, there are the three hundred thousand under the Pingcheng King rushing over here; Hou Yuxiao can either attack Lincang City or stay at Junyang Prefecture.

Logically, he should attack Lincang City. After all, holding a city by fortifying it also differs, a Tao City is much sturdier than a prefectural city, his forces are overwhelmingly strong compared to theirs, and he has a good chance of taking it.

Even if Hou Yuxiao sees through Emperor Yuliang and the Pingcheng King's intentions, he has no more options, unless...

Tuoba Tao suddenly thought of something, quickly turned his head to look towards the west, the direction of Cangyuan Mountain, and then turned back only to find Wanyan Lie staring at him, both of their eyes flashed with a glint of horror.

"Does he... have the guts to do that?"

"I don't know!"

This time, their conversation was entirely spoken through conveyed sound.

After they finished talking, they didn't dare to leave, they stayed on the south city gate tower, staring intently in the direction of Junyang Prefecture City. The official roads and the wilderness along the way were full of scouts, yet by midnight, not a single person had returned with news of having seen traces of the army.

"Now, there are only two possibilities left!"

"Those two hundred thousand troops, they are either still at Junyang Prefecture City or..."

The Hou Clan's two hundred thousand Red Flame Army have yet to show up, Wanyan Lie and Tuoba Tao both realized the seriousness of the problem, and upon hearing the two possibilities mentioned by Tuoba Tao, Wanyan Lie immediately interrupted him.

"What about the Junyang Prefecture City? According to the pace, the three hundred thousand troops of the Pingcheng King should have arrived nearby by now, yet no information has come through, which proves they're not there, their army should be..."

"The Hou Clan's two hundred thousand Red Flame Army didn't come to attack the city?"

Suddenly, a questioning voice came from the air. Wanyan Lie was interrupted but didn't show any anger, instead, he immediately revealed a sliver of panic, and along with Tuoba Tao, both knelt towards the sky.

It was the Pingcheng King Wanyan Jun who arrived, with two others standing alongside him, accompanied by a total of six powerful beings of the Shattered Realm behind them, all dressed similarly to Tuoba Tao and Wanyan Lie, also marquises of Great Jin.

"Greetings to the Pingcheng King, Yucheng King, Yongwei King!"

Aside from the Pingcheng King who was sent from Dongyuan Path by Emperor Yuliang, Yucheng King Tuoba Kang and Yongwei King Helian Xing were sent by Great Jin to guard the three paths before Emperor Yuliang's expedition, though their task was relatively special, focusing on guarding the capital of Great Yu. With both of them accompanying the Pingcheng King here, it shows Great Jin's special attention to the Hou Clan's two hundred thousand army.

His three hundred thousand troops, once near Junyang Prefecture City, confirmed that the Hou Clan's army was not in the city. He thought Hou Yuxiao had already taken the army to attack Lincang City, so he let the army continue approaching Lincang City while he first informed the Yucheng King and Yongwei King stationed in the capital, with the three of them rushing to Lincang City first.

But now, where is the Hou Clan's two hundred thousand Red Flame Army?

"Where is the Red Flame Army? They didn't come to attack the city?"

Wanyan Jun asked again, his face gradually turning grim.

He faintly realized something, but he was unwilling to believe it.

Wanyan Lie, with his head lowered, exchanged a secret glance with Tuoba Tao, bit his lip, and, with a hint of doubt, cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, we are just as puzzled as to why the Hou Clan's army didn't come. I thought they didn't dare to come attack and stayed at Junyang Prefecture City." Fi&nd! the t^ra^nslati^o.n+ on MV&L@E*MP+Y-R&.

At this moment, Tuoba Tao chimed in: "Since Your Majesty is here, it's likely that the Hou Clan's army isn't at Junyang Prefecture City either, perhaps they're heading to Capital Region Path, or hiding somewhere along Lincang Path?"

Upon hearing the two people's words, Wanyan Jun's face immediately darkened. Among the six Marquises following him now, two had brought troops from the Gyeonggi Path. If those two million soldiers of the Red Flame Army had gone to the Gyeonggi Path, it would be impossible for them not to know.

"Two million troops cannot disappear without a trace. I came all the way from Junyang Prefecture City and saw nothing. There was nothing from the Gyeonggi Path side as well. To get to Shuofeng Road, one must pass by the vicinity of Lingcang City. Are you two certain that Hou Clan's army never appeared?"

Wanyan Lie and Tuoba Tao immediately nodded and said simultaneously, "We are certain!"

...

Upon hearing their confident reply, Wanyan Jun suddenly turned to look towards the west. His expression changed from confusion to astonishment and finally to shock, leaving him stunned in place.

"He would dare to go to Cangyuan Mountain, and try to attack Hulao Pass?"

East, south, and north, all are empty; only the west is left.

But to the west is Cangyuan Mountain!

Hulao Pass, the most formidable pass under heaven, had long been controlled by Great Jin years ago. It was the only way from Zhongzhou to Great Jin, and the only passage to the Three Northern Provinces besides crossing the river from Yongzhou.

"King Pincheng, Great Jin is waging war on three fronts, and the defense at Hulao Pass has greatly relaxed. If I remember correctly, the only defender now is the million-strong Valiant Cavalry Army, led by General of Valiant Cavalry, Zuoqiuyuan!"

Suddenly, King Yongwei, standing by, spoke with a heavy tone.

Although there was a look of shock on Wanyan Jun's face, after a moment of thought, he still incredulously said, "Zuoqiuyuan has Sub-Saint cultivation in the Martial Dao; commanding a million-strong Valiant Cavalry Army to guard Hulao Pass is more than enough. But the question is, how does Hou Yuxiao dare to attack Hulao Pass? Even if he captures it, so what? Could he possibly... dare to invade the Three Northern Provinces?"

Not to mention Wanyan Jun, even the other two Princes and the eight Marquises present were all filled with shock on their faces.

Two million soldiers of the Red Flame Army attacking the Three Northern Provinces.

What a joke!

Even though Great Jin is at war on three fronts, with three emperors, six kings, and twenty-eight marquises almost all in action, the Emperor of Jin has not moved yet. Moreover, under the command of the Emperor of Jin are the most elite forces, the Conglong Guard and the Divine Imperial Army, which combined also amount to five million. These are the top troops of Great Jin, and they haven't acted yet...

Assuming an improbable scenario, even without deploying the grand army, if the Emperor of Jin takes action, these mere two million troops, even combined with the experts from the Hou Clan, Lu Family, and Jiangbei Alliance, wouldn't be sufficient.

Attacking Hulao Pass, what on earth is Hou Yuxiao thinking?

"Did you forget, the coalition of these three families now represents the alliance. If Hou Yuxiao genuinely captures Hulao Pass, it means the alliance has captured Hulao Pass. Once Hulao Pass falls into the alliance's hands, do you know what this implies?"

After Yucheng King finished speaking and seeing everyone silent, he continued, "Of the three fronts Great Jin is fighting on, the battle in Jizhou is the most crucial. Currently, Emperor Yuliang hasn't even broken through the Dongyuan Path. Even if he does break through, the alliance can continuously reinforce Jizhou via Yunlan Ancient River. But if Hulao Pass fully falls into the alliance's hands and we can't reclaim it quickly, then Great Jin can no longer support Emperor Yuliang..."

He paused, his voice turning even more somber as he continued:

"Moreover, losing Hulao Pass means our Great Jin's reputation of invincibility is also lost. Once the Conglong Guard and Divine Imperial Army are mobilized, our Great Jin will be completely in action, losing our deterrent power over the world."

Everyone's expressions changed instantly.

"Hulao Pass cannot be lost. Tuoba Tao, Wanyan Lie, you two now go notify the forces from all sides, have them hasten their march to first gather at Lingcang City. Yucheng King, Yongwei King, and the other six marquises, follow me towards Hulao Pass to search. Once it's confirmed that the Hou Clan's army indeed has designs on Hulao Pass, notify everyone to head there immediately."

"As you command!"

Yucheng King and Yongwei King both nodded and, without saying anything else, followed Wanyan Jun, turning into three streams of light and swiftly headed west towards Hulao Pass.

Even though Wanyan Jun felt anxious at heart, he also understood the first step was to confirm whether those two million Red Flame Army troops really intended to target Hulao Pass. A massive army doesn't move as easily as a single person; their mobilization ranges from several hours to several days or even months. If this is Hou Yuxiao's deliberate ruse, falling for it would lead to unbearable regret.

However, just a hundred miles out from Lingcang City, Wanyan Jun's face changed. In the sky above Cangyuan Mountain to the west, despite appearing thin, a clearly visible blood-red cloud was rapidly moving towards Hulao Pass.

"Audacious beyond measure, utterly audacious..."

Furious, Wanyan Jun growled deeply in mid-air. But before he could fully vent his emotions, he was struck by a fierce wind from above, jolting him awake from a state of crisis. His momentum surged instantly.